Additional Homework Problems

CDP10-AB

  The catalytic oxidation of ethanol has been carried out over a tantalum oxide catalyst [J. Catal., 25, 194 (1972)]. The overall reaction
     
   

image 10eq1.gif

     
    is believed to proceed by the following mechanism, in which ethanol is adsorbed on one type of site, S, and oxygen is adsorbed on a different type of site, S´ . Ethanol undergoes dissociative adsorption on two type S sites:
     
   

image 10eq2.gif

     
    Oxygen also undergoes dissociative adsorption on two type S´ sites (presumably metal ions):
   
   

image 10eq3.gif

   
    (a) Assuming that the rate-limiting step is
     
   

imag e10eq4.gif

     
    and that the adsorbed hydroxyl may be converted into water by
     
   

     
    show that the initial rate law is
     
   

image  10eq6.gif

image 10eq7.gif

   

(b) What generalizations can you make after studying this problem?

[2nd Ed. P6-17]